Tricycle strike hits Virac, Catanduanes as class open
By Fernan Gianan
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 13:44:00 06/10/2008
Filed Under: Protest, Road Transport, Education, Consumer Issues
VIRAC, Catanduanes -- Pedicab drivers had a field day ferrying passengers after nearly all of this capital town's 2,500 tricycle drivers and operators went on strike over the inaction of the municipal council on a pending fare increase ordinance.
The tricycle is the main mode of transportation in this town, with multicabs (mini trucks), jeepneys and buses plying routes to other towns.
"Our sector has been hard hit by the recent spate of fuel price increases, with our daily earnings greatly reduced by expenses for gasoline which now costs P57.55 per liter," said Joel Sarmiento, president of the Federation of Virac Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (Fedvitoda).
Virac Mayor Santos Zafe and the Catanduanes provincial police command immediately deployed "Libreng Sakay" (Free Ride) vehicles, particularly along routes to the Catanduanes State Colleges and other schools with big student populations.
Superintendent Jeffrey Fernandez, deputy provincial police director, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) that his office has sent uniformed policemen to areas where the protesters have gathered.
Sarmiento said a tricycle driver normally consumes five liters of premium gasoline during eight hours of operation. Only those who ply their routes until as late as 9 p.m. bring home at least P200.
Drivers who do not own their tricycles are even worse off, as they have to pay the vehicle owner a “boundary” fee of P120 per day, he said.
The tricycle driver's group filed a fare hike petition in November last year but decided to withdraw this after oil companies rolled back fuel prices.
Since weekly price hikes began in February, the group re-filed the petition in March but the municipal council failed to immediately act on the measure.
According to Sarmiento, a second public hearing scheduled by the council this month further delayed the process.
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